- Thursday, March 17, 2022
- 3:30 PM–5:30 PM
- Chapel Sanctuary
Can Jesus's Prayer Save Us From Civil War? Enemies, Devastation, and Hope
A pandemic of polarization is spreading. Ethiopia is famous for its ancient African Christianity and uncolonized independence. Today it’s locked in the world’s most devastating civil war. In the American context, Time Magazine reports that half of the US believes another civil war is likely.
How should followers of Jesus respond?
This lecture looks at the psychology of othering and how violent conflict becomes possible. It then explores the spiritual practice that Jesus taught his movement and how praying with Jesus can train us to interrupt the enemy-making process and heal conflict. The lecture concludes by focusing on the practical implications for us today via the ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Andrew DeCort is co-director of The Neighbor-Love Movement (Ethiopia) and author of Practice Flourishing: The Spirituality of Jesus (forthcoming) and Bonhoeffer’s New Beginning: Ethics after Devastation (Fortress Academic). He holds a PhD in Ethics from the University of Chicago and has lectured at Wheaton College, the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology, and the University of Bonn.
This lecture is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, The Department of Religion, and the Department of Philosophy
